Travis Grenz discusses the exercise with a trainer during a debriefing Thursday at the Foothills Mall. / Sam Noblett/The Coloradoan

The Foothills Mall in Fort Collins was taken over Thursday by men in masks wearing breathing systems as they navigated fallen ceiling tiles, chicken wire walls and other building supplies while searching the room, and among those men in masks was a Windsor firefighter.

The Front Range Fire Consortium took over the location as part of its academy training program in which Windsor firefighter Travis Grenz is enrolled.

The day’s training exercises focused on large-area searches in the 75,000-square-foot facility.

The large-area training requires academy students to dress in full fire gear — including facemasks, air canisters and black masks that completely block their vision. They were simulating a zero-visibility situation, such as might exist in a building filled with smoke.

“Being blacked out, it takes a lot of reps to get comfortable,” Grenz said. “You get rusty if you don’t keep it up.”

Academy members were paired up. As a team, they would complete the exercise multiple times during the morning.

One portion of the exercises included retrieving a victim, played by Aaron Booker of the Cheyenne Fire Department, who would call out for help. The firefighters would then find him and drag him from the building.

The academy, which is a 15-week program for both new recruits and current fire department employees, is currently in week eight and in the phase where firefighters get to start putting together basic skills in complex situations.

“They get a lot of book knowledge, so we want to get them some real-world experience,” said Ryan Thomas, the lead instructor for the exercise and a PFA firefighter. “The mall has given us a great opportunity.”

At times, the firefighters were left to find objects by bumping into them headfirst.

“You don’t realize how much you depend on your senses, especially sight,” said Luke Foster, a recruit from PFA. “You get lost really easily.”

The Front Range Fire Consortium, which put on the training, has nine different member agencies, including both Windsor-Severance Fire Rescue and Poudre Fire Authority. Other partners hail from Boulder and Laramie.

The building, which is currently empty as the mall awaits redevelopment, recently has become a haven for fire and law enforcement training, said Cynthia Eichler, general manager of the Foothills Mall.

The training is aimed at teaching the firefighters how to stay safe during what is seen as a high-danger operation.